Mike Wells insists the future is bright for Adelaide despite a first championship in 24 years slipping through the 36ers' fingers in overtime of the NBL decider.
Adelaide led throughout the fourth quarter of Sunday's game five against Sydney until a Tim Soares basket levelled the scores in the final six seconds and forced overtime.
Once there, ex-36er Kendric Davis took charge and helped the Kings to a 113-101 win that sealed their sixth title and broke Adelaide's hearts in front of a record-breaking crowd of 18,589 fans at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena.
It was a devastating end to the championship series for the 36ers, who lost game one by an unprecedented 44 points but evened the ledger twice with gutsy wins at home.
"We knew the formula to win and we couldn't quite get it across the line," coach Wells said of Sunday's loss.
But even in the immediate aftermath of the loss, Wells could find reasons for optimism.
The Sixers sat atop the ladder for much of Wells' second campaign and finished the regular season with a 69.7 per cent win rate - their best since 1999/2000.
Both the club's key recruits for the season proved hits, with Bryce Cotton clinching a sixth MVP title and Flynn Cameron named the NBL's most improved player.
The Sixers also made it to the final of the league's inaugural in-season tournament the Ignite Cup, narrowly losing to the New Zealand Breakers.
Wells was particularly proud of the cultural strides made by the Sixers, who controversially fired predecessor Scott Ninnis in the 2024/25 pre-season for failing to meet club standards.
"Day one was a tough day, taking over for Scott like that. That had its challenges," Wells said.
"What I took over last year, and the dysfunction, to try and change things and to achieve that, I feel very proud of the group, the professionalism in there."
Wells pointed to centre Isaac Humphries' growth as a leader as critical in that process, as well as the cultural change that made him the most proud.
"I wanted to push his role within the team because he had so many years experience," Wells said.
"I asked him to really latch on to try and help us change this culture and he was just phenomenal."
Wells was buoyed by the roster continuity his side would enjoy as they look to regroup for the 2026/27 season.
Of the players who took the court on Sunday, only import John Jenkins is a free agent.
"There's the foundation from year one to year two and what we've achieved, and now you get to start to tinker with it," Wells said.
"There's some sting in there at the end, and hopefully that's fuel for us going forward. The future is definitely bright.
"I know how hard this league is, but it is bright."
